30 discoveries of a man traveling the world alone

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Through travel, you will be able to see life with different eyes.

A couple of years ago, when Sean's life was not going the way he wanted, he decided to make his own "growth list", where he wrote down all the goals that he would like to achieve in the near future. The first place in this kind of rating was a big trip.

Over the past 15 months, he traveled many cities in various parts of the world: Paris, Munich, Buenos Aires, Cuzco, Medellin, New York - and this is just the beginning of a grandiose journey. Here are the important lessons that Sean Kim has learned as he wanders the world alone.

1. You will hate loneliness with all your heart …

Coming off the plane to the land of some unfamiliar country, you will definitely be worried, nervous and feel impossibly lonely. Don't panic: all travelers had a chance to experience this contradictory gamut of feelings at the very beginning of their adventures.

2. … and then love him madly

You will begin to enjoy loneliness. Think about it, is there anything more beautiful than freedom and the ability to do what you want, and when you want it?

3. You will get rid of the power of things

The transition from a comfortable life in your own home and travel in a private car to a semi-reclusive lifestyle with a backpack on your back after a while will allow you to understand how great the power of things over you was.

Things tend to deteriorate, which cannot be said about the experience and impressions acquired. You will understand what is more important to you.

4. Understand that quality is better than quantity

We live in a world ruled by numbers. And the higher the number, the better. Everything can be calculated: the number of friends on social networks (the more the better, you remember, right?), The tidy sum in the bank account, the number of floors in the tallest skyscraper.

It's the same with the number of places you have visited. It is much better to spend three months in one city, completely immersed in its culture and atmosphere, than trying to conquer a whole dozen at the same time with your tongue on your shoulder.

5. You will learn a new language

The realization of how big the world really is, and of what kind of soap bubble you live in, will come only when you start traveling. For example, you will be able to communicate fluently with only 12% of the people in the world if you can only speak English. The best way to understand the remaining 88% is to learn another language. Knowledge of Spanish alone doubles your chances of being understood in the rest of the world.

Each of us has access to the Internet, and this automatically negates all attempts to justify our laziness by the lack of opportunities to learn the language. There are no barriers left: you can practice anytime, anywhere. Living in a multilingual world automatically imposes certain obligations on us.

6. You will learn to love yourself

Solo travel is the time you can spend alone with yourself. You will get the greatest opportunity to be alone with your innermost thoughts and experiences. This difficult test will be a really valuable lesson for you.

7. You will understand that you do not owe anyone or anything

There is a huge difference between internal and external self-confidence. External confidence can be feigned, and you need to be able to constantly control it so as not to hit your face in the dirt in front of others.

Your inner confidence is more important. Stop worrying about what other people think of you: it takes too much of your energy. Focus on what you want and just do it.

8. It is important to honestly admit your successes and failures

When you travel alone, the responsibility for making decisions falls entirely on your shoulders. There will be no one to prompt and help. In the event that your decision turned out to be a failure, have the courage to admit it to yourself in order to avoid similar situations in the future.

9. You have to trust your intuition

Every day we make a huge number of important and not so important decisions. You will never have the opportunity to calculate all the possible options and calculate the ideal formula for success. Use your intuition - it is your key to survival.

10. Home is where you are

Here everything is as in the famous quote: "Wherever you go, you take yourself with you." Sooner or later your habits will make themselves felt.

11. You need to merge with the place to which you arrived

Whatever city you are planning to visit, try to get to know it 100%. Learn the local language, chat with the locals, taste the national food. Don't be the kind of person who follows the crowd of tourists everywhere.

12. Understand what is important to you …

You will hear many exciting life stories of the people you meet along the way. You will learn about incredible success stories (from beggarly rags to untold wealth), about deadly diseases, about insurmountable difficulties - the list will go on and on. Think about what you yourself might have said about yourself.

13. … and who is important to you

Your extended absence while traveling will allow you to understand how many really important people there are in your life. We often burden ourselves with closeness, which we do not need at all: artificial relations with neighbors, friendly relations with former classmates, “for show” - with colleagues. Relieve yourself of all of this by checking the relationship by distance.

14. Move your phone away

There is something magical about a trip to a completely unfamiliar city. When we travel, we become more receptive, our way of thinking changes, and dating is much easier. Don't let the phone destroy this magic. Take it away.

15. Be weird

Life is too short to exist only within the limits that most people consider acceptable and acceptable. Don't be predictable and don't do what everyone expects of you.

Unleash the weird side that everyone has. Take a chance.

16. There are many things to learn

We don't know a lot about the world and the people who inhabit it - about their culture, values, language, food preferences and further down the list. The truth is that most of us live in a very closed world, which includes only a couple of dozen close people and places that we are used to visiting.

We are not even trying to somehow change the situation, look outside the familiar world and try something new. We forget that "the more we know, the less we know."

17. Do not say, do

You can spend the whole day talking about how wonderful it would be to complete the task, and not make any, even the most insignificant, attempts to bring it to life.

There are many people in the world whose work is ten times more difficult than yours, and at the same time ten times less paid. Most of us have no idea what hard work really means.

18. There is no such thing as a "stranger"

You will stop seeing people as simple strangers. When you meet in hostels with fellow travelers, you will begin to catch a kind of mental connection between you, which is impossible to explain, but easy to feel.

19. Vulnerability is not a sign of weakness

It will take you some time to realize that there is nothing wrong with being vulnerable and showing temporary weakness. Sometimes it is worth giving vent to the accumulated emotions. The ability to admit your mistakes and correct them rather characterizes you as a strong person than vice versa.

20. Look at people without masks

One of the most wonderful things about traveling is the people around you. When they are not constrained by social restrictions and conventions, they are revealed from a completely different side. You will have the opportunity to find out what they really are.

21. Kill everyone with your kindness

It is much easier to attack a person than to try to understand the situation and respond appropriately. Try to be generous to everyone, and you will definitely not regret either the saved energy or the saved nerves.

22. Bring your books with you

When traveling, our brains are more receptive, and this can positively affect your level of creativity. Read during flights, transfers at the airport, while hitchhiking - you can easily master a book a week.

23. Make spontaneity your second self

During the trip, situations will often arise when you have to radically change your plans. Learn to be less conservative and be prepared to make spontaneous decisions.

24. Look for like-minded people

We all know this quote: "If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together." In difficult times, you will be comforted by the thought that there are quite a few people in the world who share your views.

25. Show kindness

The easiest, but at the same time, the most effective way to make the world a better place is to spontaneously show kindness towards strangers.

26. Empathize with those who really need it

It is difficult to sympathize with people who complain that their restaurant reservations were canceled for some unknown reason, or that they found an uncomfortable seat on the plane.

Traveling around the world, you will meet many hard workers who, earning less than $ 5 a day, also manage to help their families. They simply do not have time for whining and discontent.

27. Invest in yourself

On a solo journey, your number one goal should be to take care of yourself. Take the opportunity while there is such an opportunity.

28. Set global goals

Set yourself some kind of ambitious goal that will benefit more than just you. This goal will serve as a guiding light when you face life's challenges and obstacles. The essence of a global goal is that you will go towards it not only in order to satisfy your own interests, but also so as not to let people down who are counting on you.

29. Know how to stand your ground and know how to admit defeat

Be brave enough to stand up for the beliefs you believe in. But also have the strength to admit that you do not have answers to absolutely all questions.

30. We are all just people

The irony of travel is that we strive to explore as many different cultures as possible and communicate with as many people as possible, so that later, upon returning home, we understand that all people are the same. Poor people, rich people, Asians, Hispanics - we all play the same game called life. And we all want one thing: love, respect and a secure future.